Flowers mean happiness, a spark, an ode to life itself. For me it is a proof that you are alive and can appreciate simplicity of a very short-lived existence. The colors I choose in flowers represent how I feel that day or perhaps a more artistic expression of how well the colors blend with each other. Seasonal variations of what is available in flowers and are budget-friendly are also an important consideration. It is always a balance for me – beauty with budget, longevity with decay, a hint of fragrance with heavy perfume.

I have discovered wood stalks and the inherent beauty in those. Blooms and stalks are so close to seasons that they reflect seasons. As such, I bring the weather home with flowers. Not the harshness of weather. I like to admire the snow, the biting chill, a blowing wind, the dense fog, thunderstorms and the constant drizzle, and even the burning heat, but sitting in the thermal comfort of my home. The flowers, they tell me a story of what it is really like outside or, maybe, make me forget the harshness of it all.

Doing floral arrangements is really combining these thoughts. Whether they are meant for home or a wedding or an anniversary or a friend’s birthday. Flowers and stems arranged reflect me and my thoughts and the seasons. Engaging in a floral design course helps formalize my scattered thoughts and giving these a proper structure or a name. It helps to identify principles that I need to focus on a little more consciously. At the cost of sounding pompous, making pleasing floral arrangements is getting better at making something beautiful what already is beautiful. How wrong can you go in that?